Twisted Hearts
by Raeinspace
Summary: AU: Set in the past, so no curse. Rumplestiltskin raises Zelena in secret for Cora, preparing her to one day rule. First Cora puts another plan into motion: she marries Henry, having Regina with the intention of using her to get revenge on Ava. Will it work, or will her daughters destinies lead them elsewhere? Possibly an eventual SnowQueen?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, etc.**

* * *

It was raining as the young princess ran across the courtyard to get to her wing of the castle. She didn't have long to go to her room and change before the guests would start arriving. Her delicate slippers slipped on the steps and she pitched forward, her arms flailing as she fell. It hurt where her elbows and knees hit the corners of the stone stairs. She lay there a moment, allowing herself a few tears and before turning around to look at the damage.

"Are you all right?" A soft voice asked, and a hand reached out to help her to her feet.

Snow looked up and gasped as she saw the older girl in front of her. She was perfect. Despite the rain there was not a hair out of place and she was holding her umbrella out to shelter both of them.

"I fell."

"So I saw." Regina allowed a small smile to grace her lips, not wanting the little princess to think she was laughing at her.

Snow wiped a hand over her dress before accepting the help offered. "Thank you. I am Princess Snow."

Regina dipped into a curtsy. "My name is Regina, you majesty."

"Are you here for the party?"

"No, I am merely visiting for a short while."

"It's my birthday."

"So I understand."

"Would you like to come?"

Regina frowned. That was unexpected. She was supposed to introduce herself to the princess, be kind to her, then insult her and leave. Her mother hadn't instructed her on party invitations.

"Father said I could invite anyone I wanted, but as I don't really know anyone else my age he sent invitations to those he said were socially acceptable." Snow added, worried that her new friend didn't think there would be room for her. "I can instruct the servants to set another place while I change."

"Wouldn't you need to confirm that I am '_socially acceptable_'?" Regina asked.

"No, I don't care. I like you and you were kind enough to help me."

"I have to go." Regina curtseyed again. "I advise against running in the rain, especially on wet surfaces."

"But, I'm having a party, they'll be wonderful food and…"

Time for the insult. Regina tried to work out how to use the words her mother had given her, but the princess was full of surprises none of them seemed fitting.

"I don't have time to attend a children's party. I suppose you will be playing games…"

"There will be dancing!" Snow insisted. "Very grown up."

Regina looked at the stained dress, noting a slight tear in the fabric. "A children's party, for children, however much you dress up for it."

Snow stomped her foot on the step. "I revoke your invitation!"

"I already rejected it."

"I want you out of my castle. Now."

Regina smiled. "Has your father passed his crown to you already? I see you have a child's temper. Such tantrums are not suitable in princesses, however young."

"You…"

"Ah, ah. Don't bother, I am leaving. You should go and change for your party, it is rude to keep your guests waiting."

Snow stuck her nose in the air and turned around quickly, determined to take her time getting dressed. She was a princess. It was her party. The guests could wait if she wanted them to wait.

* * *

Cora watched from the shadows as the princess stormed off. She stepped into view as Regina turned and headed in her direction.

"Well done, daughter. Despite ignoring my suggestions, you handled that quite well. I don't think the princess will forget your little meeting in a hurry."

Regina tucked her arm through Cora's as they headed to collect their carriage. "I still don't understand mother, why…?"

"Shh, later."

Cora sought the spell concealing their transportation and hurried Regina inside. Even though her daughter couldn't see the magic, she could feel the steps and door that opened for her. Regina was used to her mother's powers. She feared them and was awed by them in turns, depending on her mother's use of them. Most of all she wanted to please her, and it seemed that her performance today had achieved that.

The carriage started with a jolt as the horses headed home. Regina kept her back straight and her shoulders back as she bounced around inside. Sitting opposite her mother, she could see new thoughts crossing her mind and wished her mother would confide in her. If she knew what she was expected to do, it would be easier to prepare herself.

Regina turned her head slightly, to look at the view outside. The fields only left her more desperate to go for a ride on her horse. She closed her eyes and pretended that was where she was now. On horseback, racing over the grounds near their house.

"Tomorrow you will begin additional dance lessons." Cora broke her out of her daydream.

"As you wish."

"And I will arrange for the dressmaker to come and take new measurements. We can't have your clothes appearing out of fashion."

"Mother?"

"Yes, Regina?"

"Why…?"

"I made you a promise when you were born. You have a great destiny and I won't allow anything to stand in your way."

Regina didn't quite understand, but she knew her mother was only doing what she thought best. She wasn't sure she wanted to have a great destiny. She would be quite happy to just marry for love and settle into a quiet life, raising a family. Destinies were always for brave people, heroes and the like. Regina closed her eyes and tried not to picture Daniel as her husband. The stable boy was always so kind to her, but she knew her mother would never approve. He had such a good heart, was so strong and brave. In a way, Regina could picture him as a hero, something out of a story. In her dreams he came riding up on a horse, dressed in knights armour and carried her off to a faraway land. She sighed.

Cora noticed the smile on her daughters face and assumed she was thinking of her destiny. She could almost picture the crown on Regina's head. Everything was going exactly as planned.


	2. Chapter 2

Zelena was sitting on the window seat, and staring out at the long carriageway, waiting for her mother to arrive. Rumplestiltskin's castle seemed so isolated, not that she had ever gone more than a few feet out the door. A small time in an enclosed garden was all the freedom she was ever allowed.

"Do you think she'll ever bring Regina to see me?" She asked, turning to her adoptive father.

The Dark One sat at his spinning wheel, turning the straw to gold thread. He looked up as she spoke and smiled at her, his work continuing uninterrupted.

"When she is ready. How would you like some of this for a necklace?"

Zelena took a cautious look and stepped towards him. "Really? Like the one mother has?"

He halted the wheel and ran his hands along the new gold. With a pair of magic scissors he cut off a length and held it out to her as if measuring how much was required.

"That should do nicely. Turn around."

Zelena lifted her hair out of the way and felt the weight of the gold as he laid it against her skin. She looked down and gently ran her fingers across it.

"It's beautiful."

"When you rule the world, you will have more beautiful necklaces, ones with precious jewels in all colours."

"I'll still like this one best."

Rumplestiltskin laughed. When Cora had first come to him with her plan, he had been sceptical. Now, he couldn't imagine not having Zelena in his life. A daughter could never replace his lost son, but she could make finding him possible. When she and Regina were of age, their magic might make the reunion possible. Not that he shared that with Cora.

"You should go and study, your mother will return to see you tonight. Be patient."

Zelena smiled at him and left. As she walked to the library she realised that she could show her mother the necklace. There was so much she wanted to talk to her about. She wished Regina could visit. She longed to meet her younger sister, even if they didn't share a father. It could be so lonely here sometimes and she wanted a friend. She understand why Cora couldn't tell her before, Regina was too young and might have struggled to keep it a secret. It didn't matter to her that she didn't know her own father and she understood why her mother had to marry Prince Henry. Her mother promised that everything she did was going to make Zelena a Queen. Not just any Queen, but The Queen. It meant a lot of hard work, like studying and more studying, but she knew she could do it. There wasn't anything else to distract her in the castle. One day she would be free. When she was Queen she could do as she wished, go where she wished and… she could keep Regina at her side. They would be best friends, they would share secrets with each other and…

Zelena pushed open the heavy doors to the library. There were so many books. She clapped her hands together and the curtains were flung open. Smiling at her own magic, she settled into a chair facing the book she had left open the day before. She knew she wasn't supposed to use magic really, but her mother kept putting off teaching her spells and so she had been practicing with the ones she found in books. Her father had told her to study and that's what she intended to do, just not the boring history or language books he expected.

She looked around and raised her hand. A small book came flying down off the top shelf. She looked at the cover and blew away the dust. For some reason only the magic books gathered dust in the library. Opening to the first page, Zelena began to read. She recalled hearing her parents talking about her just a few months earlier. She had been eavesdropping, hoping to hear about her sister. Instead she heard her own name.

_"Are you sure?" Her mother asked. "Won't that affect ours plans?"_

_"Zelena's skin will turn green, there is no way for us to stop it. In time, she may manage to control it on her own, but it is fated to happen."_

_"But can she rule if…"_

_"With her power, none will dare stand against her."_

Zelena had crept away then. Her mind played the words over and over. She would look down at her skin, as if waiting for it to change. Sometimes she would stare into her mirror for hours, until her eyes could picture it happening. Once she had a nightmare where she had turned green and everyone was laughing at her or running away in fear. She had woken screaming. When her father tried to ask her what was wrong, she couldn't tell him the truth. He sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand until she fell back to sleep.

So she read the magic books, not looking for power, but searching for a cure to whatever would cause the transformation.

* * *

Regina was yelling at her mother. She knew it was a mistake as soon as she started, but now she was in full swing and it was harder to stop. Pacing the room, her hands itched to pick something up and throw it, but common sense held her back.

Cora waited a moment before raising her hand and cutting off her daughter's words with magic. "That is enough. You _will_ do exactly as I tell you to. You are my daughter and I know what is best for you."

Regina stopped kicking her feet in the air and relaxed her body. It was the quickest way to get her mother to let her down.

"How I could raise a daughter to be so disobedient I'll never know." Cora shook her head at Regina. "Are you going obey me now?"

Mutely, Regina nodded her head. Cora left her dangling for a few seconds longer, wanting her to learn the lesson. As soon as Regina's feet touched the ground and she could speak again, she apologised.

Cora confined her to her rooms for the evening, instructing the cooks that she was only to have toast for dinner. As soon as Cora left for her evening walk, Henry snuck up to Regina's room with some other food. They didn't know where Cora went when she said she was 'going for a walk'; with her magic they wouldn't have been surprised to find it was halfway around the world. It gave them a short while to relax, where they didn't have to worry about her disapproving glare or her using magic to keep them in line.

"You shouldn't bring me this." Regina whispered as her father sat on the chair in her room. "What if she finds out?"

Henry relaxed back into the cushions and smiled at his daughter. "She'll blame me, don't worry. I can't do anything when she's around, her magic is too powerful, but when she's gone I like to think I can…"

"Stand up to her without facing the consequences?" Regina nodded, as though she understood. "What do you think made her this way?"

"She had a hard life. It made her realise that she wanted something different for you, so sometimes she says or does things without thinking about what you want."

"Why did you marry her? Didn't you know she had magic?" Regina began to nibble at the food.

"My father threw a ball to marry me off to the wealthiest woman in the kingdom. Your mother was there and from the moment we met I knew I had found the woman I was meant to love. She used her magic to show my father she could give him all the gold he desired and he agreed to let us marry."

"Where did she learn magic?"

Henry stood up, shrugging as though the question wasn't important. "I have no idea. Have you finished? I'd better take the plate back to the kitchens."

"Thank you."

He kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, my little princess."

Regina's mind turned back to the real princess she had met that evening. She wondered if her father knew about it, but didn't want to say anything in case her mother wanted it to be a secret.

"Goodnight."


	3. Chapter 3

Snow had helped to plan her father's birthday party. It was going to be held in the evening, and she would only be allowed to stay for the first hour or so, but she didn't mind. She had gone over the guest list with him, sat in the kitchens with the head cook and planned all his favourite dishes, then run off to her rooms to finish his birthday present. It was a birdhouse. One of the gardeners had found a piece of wood and another servant had built it for her, but she shown them a picture of how she wanted it to look and was painting it using her best paints. All she needed to do was stand patiently through one more dress fitting and remind her fathers valet to match his outfit colours with hers. It was going to be wonderful.

She watched the guests filter into the ballroom. They each came to stand before her and her father, bowing or curtseying to them. She felt so grown up. Ever since her own birthday party, when she had been called a child, she had been trying her best to act like an adult. When Lord and Lady Westmarsh paused to speak to her, she used her best manners and engaged in polite conversation. She was so distracted talking to them that she didn't notice the late arrivals. Her ears didn't register the introductions made and it wasn't until her father's hand on her shoulder forced her to turn around that she saw who was there.

Snow forgot her manners and stared at Regina. Her father apologised for her, explaining that she was probably tired.

"Past her bedtime?" Regina asked with a polite smile at her own father who was escorting her.

"It is not." Snow insisted.

"Snow…" Her father warned, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Snow looked at Regina. Saw how beautiful her dress was, saw the intricate braids in her hair that must have taken hours to plait. All she could think about was how she wished her mother was still alive to offer her advice on such things. She began to feel jealous.

"Unfortunately my wife could not make it tonight, but she hopes you will have another wonderful year your majesty." Henry was explaining, his hands clasped nervously in front of him.

"What a shame. I hope she feels better soon."

Snow breathed a sigh of relief when they finally moved away. Music began to play softly in the background and the dance floor cleared for the first dance. Her father ushered her away to the side, to sit and watch. There was only one person Snow was interesting in watching now. Regina's father escorted her to the edge of the dance floor as if trying to remain away from the centre where everyone's focus would usually be. Snow's lips pressed into a thin line as she saw how gracefully Regina moved, how confident she was with each step, smiling at her father as though sharing a private joke with him. She noticed how Regina caught the attentions of others. How could she not, looking so beautiful and dancing so well?

"Time for bed soon." Her father whispered from the chair next to her.

Snow turned to him, widening her eyes to persuade him to let her stay just a little longer. "You haven't opened your presents yet."

"After dinner then, but straight to bed. Promise?"

Snow nodded, eager to see his reaction to the birdhouse.

* * *

Regina held out a small hand-wrapped present to the king. He placed Snow's birdhouse to the side.

"It isn't much, your majesty." Regina whispered, lowering her eyes and blushing.

"There was an unfortunate accident with the gift we had chosen." Henry added. "We didn't have time to replace it, but my daughter insisted on bringing something."

"Birthdays aren't about gifts, they are about the people you spend it with." Leopold looked at his daughter as he spoke, causing her shoulders to lower.

"Yes father." She nodded meekly.

"I'm afraid the ribbon loosened on the journey here." Regina drew his attention back to her.

The king smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. It just makes it easier to open."

Snow lifted her head to look as the wrapping fell away. She wrinkled her nose as she saw what it was. On a small square of cloth, which had been rolled up to fit in the paper, and attached to four wooden sticks that could be connected together to make a frame, Regina had delicately sewn a rearing horse against a green landscape. It had taken her weeks to finish, and every time she grew impatient with it she had gone for a ride to clear her head before returning to it. The stitching was so tiny she had used a curved circle of glass to view it.

Snow waited for her father to laugh at it. He had a thousand more impressive gifts and no matter what he said she knew her mother was better with a needle and thread.

"I shall treasure it." Leopold told Regina, taking her hand and kissing it.

Snow seethed, curling her hands into fists, her mouth thinning into an unpleasant line. She watched Regina and her father walk away, not realising that her own father was watching her.

"I think that it is time for you to return to bed." Leopold signalled for Snow's maid to escort her to her rooms.

"But…"

The warning tone in his voice was enough to stop her. "Goodnight, Snow."

"Goodnight, father."

She swept away after a small curtsey in his direction, not bothering to check if her maid was keeping up with her. Later, as she brushed her hair, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Am I beautiful?" She asked, turning to look at the young servant turning back the covers of her bed.

The girl curtseyed automatically. "Yes, your highness."

Snow frowned, realising that she might have only said that because she was a princess. She turned back to the mirror, studying her features and trying to work out which were flawed.

She was still sitting there long after the servants had left. Her father, passing her room on his way back from the party, opened the door and ordered her straight to bed. Before she blew out the candle though, she decided to ask him the same question.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Leopold was a little drunk at this point, but he knew what to say. "You look more and more like your mother every day."

Snow smiled, pulled the blankets up to her chin and blew out the candle.


End file.
